GitBar is an xbar plugin that keeps track of branches and open pull requests across multiple GitHub repositories, directly from the macOS menu bar.

I built it as a small tool for the moments between writing code and opening GitHub in a browser. Instead of checking repositories one by one, GitBar brings the most useful information into a single menu: pull requests waiting for review or merge, CI and deployment statuses, branches without an open pull request, and links back to the relevant GitHub pages.

The plugin uses the GitHub CLI to fetch repository data and can refresh automatically at a configurable interval. Repositories are fetched in parallel, so monitoring several projects does not make each refresh progressively slower. It also keeps a local copy of the latest data, allowing the menu to display the last known state when the network is unavailable.

GitBar was built in Ruby for xbar and is configured through a simple list of repositories. It is deliberately focused: a lightweight interface that surfaces the status of ongoing work without requiring another application or dashboard.

The project was presented at Geneva.rb, a meetup series about Ruby and Rails development.